Antoinette beenders life through a lens

Throughout her prolific career, Antoinette Beenders' work has won her worldwide acclaim and an enviable clutch of the most prestigious awards in the industry - among them the coveted HJ's British Hairdresser of the Year trophy, in 2004.

Her dazzling CV also includes work for style bible Vogue and she has dressed models' hair for the catwalks of Miu Miu, Alexander McQueen and Dolce & Gabanna, among a host of other legendary fashion labels.

As global creative director of Aveda, Antoinette's passion for innovative and beautiful hair has put her firmly on the world stage, giving her the chance to educate and inspire hairdressers with her work.

"I was fortunate enough to be trained in photographic work prior to the digital era," she says.

"Back then editorial shoots had to be perfect as photographers never re-touched hair. I think that strengthened my skills and made me the perfectionist I am today."

 

"This was one of the images from the collection with which I won HJ's 1995 Avant Garde Hairdresser of the Year. The idea came from playing cards and the image is before computer re-touching. I had to print two 10 x 8in photos, glue them together and then try to re-touch the line in the middle by hand."

 

 

"This was taken on the roof terrace of my boss at the time, George Hammer's flat in Marylebone, London, in 1997. We were having PR shots taken to celebrate the opening of the new Aveda salon in Harvey Nichols. It was an exciting time as I was starting a whole new phase of my career, which meant that I could start making a name for myself in the industry."

"This model was sent to me with one-length, waist-length hair which was so unusual. I decided to give her a fringe, but I was a bit of a chicken and cut the fringe long to start with. It ended up looking like a little bob within the long hair. I then added a fringe and ended up with what I call a 'double vision' haircut. Great for girls who want a new look without losing the length!"

 

 

"This image was one for my first nomination for HJ's British Hairdressing Awards. I wanted to do something a bit different so I decided that I would use real people for my shoot,  instead of models. I donated the money I saved on model fees to charity. This lady was 91 years old. At the time no one used models of that age. However, I sparked a trend and  soon after, Donna Karan and Levi's started using older models as well."

 

 

 

 

"My wonderful husband Monty and I got married in 2001 in London. I would be nowhere without his support - he is my rock."

 

"For this image, taken in 2001, I wanted to create modern ballerinas - I even had dancers on set to show the models how to do the poses perfectly. I will go to any length to get the shot right."

 

 

 

"This image is from my winning collection for HJ's 2004 British Hairdresser of the Year award. The picture took just five minutes to shoot. With a face like this model's you can do anything - so I used a bit of an old wig, pinned it on, chopped into it and flung a scarf around her shoulders. At the last moment we put this mask on her as well, and somehow it just worked! These moments happen when the planets are with you; I live for those moments."

 

"I love this picture, particularly because when it was shot in 2005, nobody had short hair. It was all about WAGs and long hair with extensions, and no model would let me near her hair with scissors until I met Sophie Byron, pictured here. She was a cool chick with blue blood (she is the great-granddaughter of the poet Lord Byron) and she let me cut her hair short. Coincidentally, I have just finished a casting and most models have short hair now; isn't it amazing how things go sometimes!"

"I shot this image in 2006, shortly after becoming Aveda's creative director. I really wanted to change the concept of commercial hairdressing marketing shots and create images for the brand that you might easily see as editorial in Italian Vogue or Harpers Bazaar. This was created for the launch of Pure Abundance Potion, which is a powder that gives your hair volume and texture. The inspiration was an 18th century wig."

 

 

"I love this image from my 2007 collection for HJ's British Hairdresser of the Year nomination, as I worked with Daisy Lowe, who is seriously cool, and a major 'it' girl on the London fashion scene. Daisy has a strong personal style and I wanted to make her more punk chic, so I decided to frizz her hair, but with a difference. The back of her hair looked like a waterfall and when she moved, the hair flowed. It was magical."

 

 

"This was the most eye-opening journey of my life. I went to Nepal to shoot Aveda's Christmas 2007 campaign and it actually changed my life. Gone were the things you take for granted like bathrooms, kitchens and a decent bed; instead we slept in tents high up in the Himalayas and used a bush for a bathroom. I visited a community in North-Western Nepal that makes paper that we use for our Christmas packaging; it's so great to give something back and puts life into perspective."

 

"This year I had great fun filming three episodes of the Channel 4 programme How To Look Good Naked with Gok Wan. This is us on location and the shows are being aired throughout May."

 

 

 

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